Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Cutter: 45 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50

When the Twins selected Raya in the fourth round of the pandemic-shortened 2020 Draft, they knew they might have to be patient with the Texas prepster's development. It didn't help that a shoulder strain kept him from the mound for all of the 2021 season and the Twins were super cautious upon his return in 2022 and 2023, throwing a combined total of 127 2/3 innings over two years, though he did reach Double-A in the process.

While the Twins erred on the side of caution and continued to closely monitor Raya's workload in 2023, they were very pleased with how his stuff progressed, leading to his promotion from High-A to Double-A before his 21st birthday. He's always had plenty of fastball, a pitch that was averaging around 96 mph, with high spin up in the zone. His real out pitch is his slider, missing a ton of bats at 84-85 mph, also with elite spin rates. He can land his slightly slower curve with depth to give hitters a different look, and the Twins think his changeup has improved the most, going from a below-average pitch when he was in Single-A to an offspeed offering that flashes plus with fade and depth. He's working on a cutter to round out his arsenal and has had good early returns with it, a harder Walker Buehler-ish kind of pitch.

Not only has Raya's stuff improved, but he was landing all of it in the zone more consistently, with solid command in the zone, especially when he was with Cedar Rapids. He still needs to prove he can handle a full workload as a starter, and the gloves should start coming off a bit in 2024.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50

Patience isn't always easy, but sometimes it's needed, especially when it comes to high school pitching talent. Case in point is Raya, the Twins' fourth-round pick out of the Texas prep ranks in 2020. He didn't pitch competitively in 2021 because of a shoulder strain, but while he was on a monitored workload in 2022, he showed exactly why the Twins were excited to get him with a strong debut in the Single-A Florida State League.

There's a chance Raya could have a legitimate four-pitch mix at his disposal. His fastball is already an impact pitch, a four-seamer thrown with high spin rates that topped out at 97 mph. He can miss bats with a very good slider thrown mostly in the 82-83 mph range, also with elite-level spin rates, and has a slightly slower curve with good depth to it that can play against left-handed hitters. One of his main areas of focus has been developing his changeup to give him something else to attack lefties with and he's made progress in finding a grip that works for him.

Raya has been around the strike zone with all of his offerings, and that, along with further development of that changeup, will help him maintain a true starter profile. As an undersized pitcher who has had some injuries, he'll have to prove to skeptics that he can handle the workload as the developmental gloves come off, but there's a reason why the Twins have fielded plenty of calls from other teams asking about Raya.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

The 2022 season was the first time Raya pitched in affiliated games since the Twins selected him in the fourth round of the 2020 Draft due to a shoulder strain that sidelined him for most of last season, and the Twins were eager to see how the relatively polished stuff of the 19-year-old from Laredo, Texas, was going to play in live action after he passed up a commitment to Texas Tech to sign with the organization. Raya didn’t disappoint, throwing extremely well with Single-A Fort Myers.

There could be a little bit of physical development left on the 6-foot, 165-pound frame, but his body is already twitchy and athletic. He knows he's on the smaller side and is said to love to model himself after Marcus Stroman, though he's got a fundamentally different profile reliant on a big four-seamer alongside three high-quality secondary pitches that entered the organization with great pitch profiles, with the Twins feeling like there's not too much work needed on those. The fastball sat in the low 90s while he was in high school but was said to be up to 95-96 and touching 97 entering '22.

Raya pitches with a chip on his shoulder and is said to have made big strides in his mental development toward the end of '21, and as is the case with many young pitchers, the Twins hope he'll simplify and attack the strike zone with his quality stuff, which he's done in the past. He has the ability to quickly build his stock with strong live outings.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40

Raya was a bit of an under-the-radar high school right-hander from Texas when the 2020 Draft rolled around, one who didn’t quite make MLB Pipeline’s Top 200 Draft prospects list and who many felt would go on to continue his amateur career at Texas Tech. Despite a shortened spring, the Twins' scouting staff had seen enough to take him in the fourth round last June and then saw him throw well during instructional league play last fall.

While he’s a bit undersized at 6-feet tall, Raya’s combination of stuff, athleticism on the mound and feel for pitching give him the chance to start. He has a legitimate four-pitch mix, five if his two- and four-seam fastballs are separated out. In high school, he was up to 93 mph with his sinking two-seamer and was up to 96 mph with his four-seamer at instructs last year. The Twins liked that Raya entered pro ball with two distinct breaking balls, a tight curve that touches the upper-70s and a sweeping mid-80s slider. His changeup, another future average pitch, has good fade and sink.

Raya’s stuff plays up even more because of very high spin rates on his fastball and breaking stuff and he does a nice job of filling up the strike zone with all of his offerings. Super young for a high school draftee, he was still 17 at the time of the Draft, Raya has the Twins excited for what he can do as he physically matures and climbs the organizational ladder.

Awards

FSL Pitcher of the Week

Week	Team
04/24/2022

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	11/19/2024	Minnesota Twins selected the contract of RHP Marco Raya from St. Paul Saints.
	09/16/2024	RHP Marco Raya assigned to St. Paul Saints from Wichita Wind Surge.
	09/16/2024	St. Paul Saints activated RHP Marco Raya.
	03/07/2024	Minnesota Twins Prospects activated RHP Marco Raya.
	07/03/2023	RHP Marco Raya assigned to Wichita Wind Surge from Cedar Rapids Kernels.
	07/03/2023	Wichita Wind Surge activated RHP Marco Raya.
	04/17/2023	Cedar Rapids Kernels activated RHP Marco Raya from the 7-day injured list.
	04/06/2023	RHP Marco Raya assigned to Cedar Rapids Kernels.
	04/30/2022	Fort Myers Mighty Mussels activated RHP Marco Raya from the 7-day injured list.
	04/20/2022	Fort Myers Mighty Mussels placed RHP Marco Raya on the 7-day injured list. Wisdom teeth.
	04/05/2022	RHP Marco Raya assigned to Fort Myers Mighty Mussels from FCL Twins.
	10/07/2021	RHP Marco Raya assigned to Twins Organization.
	09/30/2021	FCL Twins activated RHP Marco Raya from the 7-day injured list.
	06/28/2021	FCL Twins placed RHP Marco Raya on the 7-day injured list.
	06/26/2020	RHP Marco Raya assigned to GCL Twins.
	06/18/2020	Minnesota Twins signed RHP Marco Raya.